Slave's revenge
by LizzieStuck91
Summary: The penalty for making an Uchiha bleed was death. And yet here he was, offering her a way out. The bargain was a hard one, but Sakura couldn't afford to die just yet. Not until she'd gotten her revenge. SasuSaku AU. M for language and later content.HIATUS
1. Meeting

_**Disclaimer: This is fanfiction and therefore the characters in it do not belong to me.**_

_**Please note: if you are 15 you are in your 16th year. If you are 16 you are in your 17th year. And so on. Just thought I'd clear that up.**_

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**Summary:**

**The penalty for making an Uchiha bleed was death. And yet here he was, offering her a way out. The bargain was a hard one, but Sakura couldn't afford to die just yet. Not until she'd gotten her revenge...**

**SasuSaku AU**

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From the moment he was born, Sasuke was carefully sheltered and cared for. Nothing was allowed to hurt him, not even himself. He wasn't allowed to run, for fear he'd trip and get a scar; he wasn't allowed out of the family compound in case an assassin hired by a rival clan killed him; and he was kept inside because he would get sunburn if he were to go outside. He was kept under careful watch by his family and was told he was a genius. He was taught that as an Uchiha, he was perfect, special, exempt from the petty laws and limitations that bound other people.

He was taught to hide his emotions, to never shed a tear, to never show anger, pain, sympathy. He was trained in the art of fighting and was educated by the best tutors the family could afford. Nothing was spared for the young Uchiha.

Finally, in his sixteenth year, he was allowed to venture outside the walls of his family home though he did so accompanied by his older brother. This grated on him. He was a man by rights and should not be accompanied as if he were a small child who'd cause trouble if left alone.

He found his opportunity to slip away when a peasant passing between him and his brother snatched his brother's coin pouch. Itachi, furious that the man had dared rob him, pursued the thief and Sasuke slipped quickly into an alley, laughing quietly to himself.

Elated that such a chance had come along, he whooped loudly and sprinted to the other end of the alley, away from the uproar his brother was raising.

Footsteps sounded from the rooftops of one of the houses surrounding him and he paused, curious about their source.

"Look out belooooww!!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as a barefoot girl his own age descended upon him from the rooftop but it was too late to dodge. Both he and the girl went down in a heap, his training keeping him from being too badly injured.

The girl climbed off his chest and dusted herself off vigorously then shook her head so that her bangs fell into place, framing her pale porcelain skinned face.

"Sorry about that." she extended an arm, "I didn't expect anyone to be down here, normally noone uses this alley."

Sasuke got up without her assistance and stood with his hands on his hips.

"What? I said I was sorry. What's the matter with you?" she scowled and crossed her arms.

Sasuke gave her an appraising look, taking in the green spaghetti strap shirt that perfectly matched her wide eyes, the black leggings that fit her slender but strong legs well, and her lack of shoes. Her long pink hair dangled down to her waist and was tightly braided, the end secured with a leather thong.

He raised a hand to a sore spot on his left cheekbone and it came away sticky with his own blood. He hissed with displeasure at the sight of the red fluid, but couldn't help but stare at it with avid curiosity. He'd never been injured before so pain and bleeding were quite unfamiliar to him. During his martial arts training, his sparring partners (mainly Itachi) had been forbidden to hit him with any sort of force and had only been allowed to block his attacks. Despite that, he was the best and strongest martial artist in the family.

Only one thought crossed his mind: this girl had caused him to bleed.

_The penalty..._ Sasuke gritted his teeth. He'd always thought it to be a little too harsh.

"Hellooooo?" the girl waved a hand up and down in front of his face. Sasuke smacked her arm away and the girl glared at him. "What is your _problem_?" she snapped.

"Do you realize who I am, girl?" Sasuke asked her, voice low with a threatening undertone that did not escape the girl's notice.

She squinted at him, head slightly cocked. A moment later, a look of comprehension dawned on her face, followed by horror.

"Oh, shit." she breathed.

Sasuke could not keep the smug grin off his face.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha. You know the penalty for causing a member of the Uchiha clan to bleed, do you not? And not just that, you've made the _heir_ to the clan bleed."

Death.

_How overdramatic. Really, what a waste. This girl- She could be useful..._ A plan formed in his mind right there and the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"I'm so sorry. Really, but I can't die. I can't." She was on her knees before him, kissing the hem of his pants.

"I'll let this slide. But-" he let the word hang in the air. The now prostrate female raised her head barely, hopefully.

_Best to crush her hope now._

A smirk slid onto his face as he gazed upon the girl whose life now lay in his hands. He could crush it out if he wanted but felt it more amusing to torture her.

"You have to be my slave. Permanently."

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**A/N: So what do you think? R&R please.**


	2. Found

_**DISCLAIMER: THIS STORY IS ENTIRELY FICTION AND WILL NEVER EVER HAPPEN JUST LIKE THE OTHER FANFICTIONS ON THIS SITE. STILL, ONE CAN ONLY HOPE...**_

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She had done it now. _Landed_ on a member of the fucking Uchiha clan, the most respected (and feared) clan in Konoha. And she couldn't _just_ land on a member of the Uchiha clan, oh no, she had to land on the _heir_ of the clan.

Of all the stupid things she had done in her life-a dark alley floated to the surface of her mind, and a man, holding her-

She slapped herself mentally and knelt at his feet and kissed the hem of his pants before bowing deeply at his feet, forehead resting on the gritty cobblestones of the alley.

"I'm so sorry. Really, but I can't die. I can't." Sakura begged.

_Not yet. Not until I've killed the bastard who ruined me. Not until then._

"I'll let this slide. But-" he halted deliberately, and she lifted her head, not liking the sound of the 'but' yet still hopeful that she could make a bargain that was to her advantage.

She saw the smirk slide onto his face as she heard the words that would change her life permanently issue forth from his lips.

"You have to be my slave. Permanently."

Her mind reeled at the thought of having to serve a member of the clan who had ruined her own clan's standing in the village.

The name Haruno had once brought to mind trade and wealth, now it simply meant 'trash' and was scorned among the villagers. The Uchihas had risen quickly with their own trading business and had sabotaged her family's caravans. Within a year, her family had gone bankrupt and her father had been assassinated.

It was just after that, that she had been ruined herself.

The upshot of it all was that it had been a member of a clan connected to the Uchihas that had helped them spy on her family and ruined her.

Still... If she could get close to the Uchiha's heir, she could get closer to _him_.

_Best to act grateful for the bastard._

She raised her head a little bit higher and, with her best tear-choked voice, answered.

"I w-will. I'll do anyth-thing. Thank you! Thank you!"

Her acting had always been her best trait. She'd learned to cry on cue when a customer of her father's was around to manipulate them into making a deal with her father. Now she sobbed her hardest, fake tears streaming down her slightly grimy cheeks.

"Good, good." she heard him say. "Now, take me away from here and give me a tour of the city." he pulled her to her feet roughly.

---

Sasuke looked left, and right alternately so fast he swore he'd have a sore neck come sundown. He couldn't help himself though, the commoners' market was bursting with vigor. Vendors hawked their wares, some shoving them so close to his face he nearly inhaled them. Jewelers kept a wary eye on passerby, guarding their precious gems as a dragon would. He didn't blame them. The colorful stones caught the eye and were almost hypnotic when the sunlight hit them. Food merchants yelled loudly about having 'the best bread in the village' or 'the freshest produce around'. Other vendors called attention to themselves with brightly colored awnings and cries of 'best quality cloth, straight from the deserts of Suna,' 'finest pottery for leagues, it's even been sold to the queen of...'.

"Please quit staring like that, you look like a tourist, and pickpockets-" Sakura smacked the hand of a boy only 5 years of age as he reached out for the full leather pouch on Sasuke's belt "-love tourists. Shoo, you pest!" she snapped at the boy, who ducked into a cluster of people and disappeared.

After that, Sasuke limited his sightseeing to occasional peeks with his peripheral vision.

They stopped at a stall selling tarts filled with jelly and Sasuke bought a couple with Sakura's urging.

They ate the tarts while they walked, Sakura wolfing hers down and Sasuke savoring his.

"That was really good. Do you know how to make those?"

"Yes, but I don't often have the right ingredients. I'm not exactly swimming in cash."

"I can't help what family I was born into, thank you." he replied coldly, feeling insulted.

"Neither can I." she huffed.

For a few minutes they walked without speaking.

"We need to clean you up." Sakura told him finally, glancing meaningfully at the cut on his cheek. It had scabbed over since their meeting and apparently was not endearing him to anybody around him. They stopped at a large public fountain, made entirely of granite that his family had imported from the land of Earth. Sakura held out a hand, clearly expecting something.

"What?" _Now_ he was puzzled. Surely she couldn't be asking for...

"I need one ryou please."

"What for? I don't need to pay you." he said, indignant.

"I need to pay the rag man to buy a rag to clean your face with. Or would you prefer to get your cut infected?" She waggled her fingers, indicating that he should just hurry up and hand her the money.

Sasuke grumbled but withdrew the sum she'd asked and she bustled off into the crowd. He sat himself on the broad rim of the fountain, one ankle resting on the opposite knee.

Such a bossy girl... he sighed, biting the inside of his cheek in boredom.

Behind him, the fountain splashed and gurgled merrily, contrasting with his bad mood. Children splashed in the fountain, cooling themselves off from the noonday heat.

He wished he could join them, but he was too old to engage in such pastimes.

Even if they did look like fun.

"Sasuke! Oh, Sasuke, there you are!"

_Fuck. He found me._ He'd been separated from his brother for only two hours. Now he watched in horror as his brother trotted across the central plaza, followed by three Uchiha guards.

"What happened to your _face_??" Itachi demanded, grabbing his chin to angle the cut at him. "Who did this to you? Tell me now."

"Noone, I fell and hit my face on an upraised corner of a rock." Sasuke lied smoothly, jerking his head free. He stood and folded his arms, angry at having been found so soon.

"We need to get that looked at, it wouldn't do for the heir to get a scar." Itachi said, lightly touching the scab that had formed. His face twisted in anger when Sasuke winced and pulled away. Though he knew it wasn't allowed, he grabbed Sasuke's forearm and towed him quickly through the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke caught sight of Sakura holding a dirty looking gray rag in one hand and made a jerking motion with his head that meant "Follow us but don't you dare get caught."

Sakura nodded so he could see and he smiled.

_Yes, it was going to be useful to keep her after all,_ he decided as he was yanked along.

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_**A/N: Short chap, sort of a filler, but I had to let you know some of the situation. Especially regarding Sakura. R&R Please and Thank you.**_


	3. Just like her

_**DISCLAIMER: THIS STORY IS ENTIRELY FICTIONAL AND WON'T HAPPEN IN THE SERIES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.**_

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Sakura followed the men to the highwalled Uchiha compound then slunk off around the corner to search for a way over the wall, away from prying eyes.

Anything would do. A few loose bricks, a tree overhanging-

Aha!

Sakura's face broke into a wide grin.

Several branches protruded over the wall from a tree on the opposite side. Sakura gauged how high they were from the ground to decide whether or not she could reach one of them if she jumped.

They were about 9 and a half feet above her head, just beyond what she could reach by jumping.

"Okay then..." she scanned the surrounding area, looking for something that could get her over the wall or allow her to reach the branches.

A little boy was playing with a yo-yo down the street, while his mother swept their front step.

The wind picked up slightly, ruffling the boy's short brown hair and pulling softly at his mother's ebony waist-length braid.

Exactly what she needed... she approached them slowly, hands clasped in front of her to show she was hiding nothing.

"Oh, um, excuse me?" Sakura asked, a shy smile on her face.

She figured the 'shy and polite' routine would be just the thing to get what she needed.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked, keeping one eye on Sakura and one on her son.

"I was wondering if I could buy your broom and your son's yo-yo?"

She hadn't needed money from Sasuke at all, she had been pickpocketing for three years and had just finished picking a wealthy merchant's coin pouch when she ran into Sasuke.

Well, maybe not ran. Used as a landing pad would be more accurate.

She hadn't even needed to pay the rag man. He'd owed her a favor and had been glad to pay her back so cheaply.

"Excuse me? Buy my broom and my son's toy?"

"Yes ma'am. I'd be willing to give you 10 ryou for them."

"You'd have to okay it with my son..." the woman trailed off, biting her lip.

"It's okay, mommy. I have plenty of other toys to play with." the little boy had come over to stare Sakura in the face. "You'll take good care of it, right?"

"Of course," Sakura grinned, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Okay then. Here's my broom, and Soshi's yo-yo."

Sakura took the items, then withdrew a pouch from her shirt and counted out the coins before handing them over.

"Thank you!" she called, running over to the place where the branches extended over the wall.

She took the straw from the end of the broom so that it was only a wooden pole and took the end of the yo-yo's string in her hand. She then used the broom handle to pole vault herself up high enough that she could hook the wooden spool of the yo-yo over the thickest branch.

She landed neatly then turned to check her handiwork.

The yo-yo's string was hanging from the branch just within reach.

She smiled smugly then grabbed the string and pulled until the end of the branch was in reach and she could grab it. After retrieving the yo-yo, she then climbed into the fork of the tree to stake out the area and make sure it was safe to come down.

Her tree (an old Sassafrass) was in a shady part of the compound, planted almost flush with the wall.

Not a wise decision, but useful for her purposes.

She looked around the roots of the tree to see what kind of padding she would have when she landed.

Red and white tulips swayed gently in a slightly muddy bed.

She'd have to jump away from the trunk as far as she could to avoid landing in mud and leaving behind footprints that would alert the family to her presence.

She scanned the rest of the garden, eyes following the stepping stones that led a meandering path through the many flower beds, full of red and white flowers. Roses, tulips, carnations- this family really liked red and white.

Then again, those were the colors on their crest so...

Seeing and hearing noone approaching, she hopped lightly out of the tree and landed neatly on one of the circular stones, then dashed to the largest building, figuring that that would be where the Uchiha heir would reside.

Carefully, she checked each of the ground floor windows (which were just below her eye level) until she spotted Sasuke being looked after by a blonde woman she could rightfully assume was physician. Sasuke had taken off his shirt and pants and sat on a stool in front of her in only his boxers. He had several bruises on his body that Sakura knew she'd inflicted. She winced inwardly but kept up her steady gaze.

He was so... built. His muscles were the perfect size, large enough to give his body some definition, but not so huge that he was made bulky. No, definitely not bulky. He was... Slender... Delicate.

Hot.

Whoa. _Not_ the kind of thought you wanted to have about the boy who'd enslaved you forever upon pain of death.

Still...

He was getting off the stool now, the woman physician clearly having finished, for she was packing up her medical kit. She bowed to Sasuke, her twin pigtails flying up, then left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Sasuke smirked then crossed the room in three short strides.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked.

Sakura blushed a deeper red than she'd ever in her life.

"No!"

"Right. That's why you look like a tomato. Get in here quickly." he commanded, poking his head out the window to scan the surrounding area.

Sakura gripped the edge of the windowsill then pulled herself up until she could fall clumsily inside.

"Smooth."

He was dressed again-mostly. He'd opted to leave his shirt off. Sakura found herself blushing again and ducked her head to hide this fact.

"Embarrassed again? Haven't you ever seen a half naked man?" Sasuke asked, one hand lifting her chin.

She hadn't. Not even on that night.

She shook her head, as a means of replying to his question, but also to shake that memory out of her head.

"Oh really?" he was smiling cockily.

_Damn _but he was sexy.

No. No. Bad Sakura! Bad!

She was blushing harder than ever.

"We're alone now, you know. My family leaves me alone almost all the time. My room is the only occupied one in this part of the house."

Sakura's heart began to pound against her ribs so hard she feared she'd bruise. The way he was speaking reminded her of that man.

She hadn't been able to stop him, but she could sure as hell stop Sasuke.

"Don't even think about it." she hissed, hands balling into shaking fists. "I don't care how many women you've been with, but I'm not like them. Don't think I'll go down easily."

"Okay, okay." Sasuke raised his hands as if to protect himself from her words. "But I'll have you know, I haven't been with any women. Today was my first time outside the compound. And probably the last."

"The last? Why?" Sakura asked, seating herself on the wooden stool Sasuke had been occupying not too long ago. She sat stiffly, still uncomfortable in his presence.

"I got hurt. The heir is never supposed to get hurt. Never supposed to bleed. Never supposed to get separated from his chaperone. Never supposed to be touched by anyone in any way unless it's a doctor or a nanny." Sasuke's voice was bitter. "That's why I need you: to help me escape the compound every once in awhile and experience _life_."

Never been touched... Sakura knew all too well what that was like.

It seemed her family wasn't the only one that had raised their heir like that. Of course, after her family's business had failed, she had found other ways to earn money.

Namely, pickpocketing.

Her parents didn't care. They couldn't.

Her father had been assassinated just before the fall, and her mother had committed suicide just after.

They had left her.

And up until the moment her parents died, they both refused to hold her.

Many times she had attempted to sit on her father's lap and been denied that right.

Many times she had tried to hug her mother and been pushed aside.

It was lonely.

It was painful.

For the longest time, after their family's fall from power, she could not bear to be touched by anyone. After years of no physical contact, it was hard to get used to the sensation. Then, when Naruto had found her, he had taught her how to be a pickpocket and helped her get over it. Mostly. If she was caught off guard or someone came on to her suddenly and touched her, she pushed them away immediately.

"Oh."

It was all she could say. She wished she could say more.

Sasuke sat on his bed, head bowed, fingers entwined in his black locks.

"I hate it here. I really do." his fingers twisted tightly, nails digging into his scalp. "I didn't want this life. I didn't want any of it. I just wanted- I wanted my parents to hug me. My brother to ruffle my hair. All the things the other Uchihas within this compound get."

Sakura slid off the stool and lightly stepped across the room to him.

Tentatively, she reached her hand out and rested it on his head. She could feel his hands through his hair, tightly knotted as if they were keeping him anchored and sane.

At her touch, the grip lessened slightly but his hands remained on his head. She could feel tremors running through his body and knew he was crying.

She had done that so many times, alone in her room, surrounded by everything a child could ever want, but nothing they would. She'd gazed out her windows longingly, watching the other children play with each other happily, get called in by their parents, and receive large welcoming hugs.

Everything she wanted was beyond the walls she was trapped behind.

"Any time you need out, I'll be there." she whispered in his ear. "I live on Dock Street, in the house with the yellow paint. Just in case you manage to get out on your own."

She went to the window and rested her forehead on the smooth wooden frame. The cool wood felt nice against her forehead, but it did nothing to clear her muddled thoughts.

She had finally met someone just like her.

She had no idea what to do.

She was torn.

Naruto and the rest of the gang would be waiting for her.

But Sasuke needed her too.

_What do I do? Could I just leave him and not feel guilty?_

No.

Her old friends, or the boy who needed her?

She had one leg out when he grabbed her wrist.

"Stay." his eyes were begging her. "Please. Just for tonight until I fall asleep. Then you can leave."

"Okay."

She wasn't sure why she was staying but she was sure that Sasuke needed her more than anyone ever had. Including Naruto.

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**A/N: Another chapter done!**

**R&R Please and thank you!**

**I love you all! Keep the reviews coming!**


	4. Something wrong

_**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO. HENCE WHY THIS IS ON A FANFICTION SITE.**_

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Sakura sighed and flopped back on Sasuke's lush goosefeather mattress.

He'd been summoned to dinner only an hour after she'd arrived and she'd been cooped up in his room for a half hour now.

She wouldn't have been quite so bored if he had some books or something in his room, but all there was was a bed (that she was currently occupying), a desk (she didn't think it would be right to invade his privacy by investigating the contents of the drawers), and a chest of drawers (same as the desk).

Which meant there was absolutely nothing to do.

Even the view of the garden outside was boring. They'd only planted tulips by his window, and besides that, it was dark out. There was nothing to see. A man had gone by the window earlier, lighting lanterns that were scattered around the house and gardens. She'd had to hide under the window to avoid being seen.

"Sooo borrrrredddd." she moaned, punching the mattress then sitting up very abruptly.

Footsteps were coming her way very quickly.

She squeaked, slid off the bed, and scrambled under it just as the door swung open.

"Sakura? Where are you?" Sasuke's feet appeared by the edge of the bed, and she crawled out slowly.

"Sorry, I thought you might be someone else."

"Right. Anyway, I brought you some food because I knew you hadn't eaten yet." Sasuke held out a plate of food that held a large piece of baked chicken breast, and noodles slathered in tomato sauce. It was still steaming, which surprised her more than the fact that he'd gotten her food.

"Thank... you?" Sakura wasn't quite sure what to do.

"That's it? Maybe I shouldn't have brought you food after all." his smile told her he was joking.

"No, no, it's great." she gave him her own smile in return. "It's just that you never struck me as the kind who'd go out on a limb for someone."

"Normally, I wouldn't do this for a slave, but seeing as you're _my_ slave, I want you in good shape." He sat down carefully on the edge of the bed beside her.

"Thanks, Sasuke."

She took the plate and Sasuke fell back slowly onto his bed, arms spread wide, as if he were going to make a snowangel.

"Just out of curiosity, are these leftovers?" she asked, a mischievous grin appearing on her face.

"No, I had the cook make some food up because I said I'd want a snack later." he raised one eyebrow, questioning her without words.

"I see. No leftovers for _your_ slave, huh?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" his arms were folded across his chest, he almost looked like he was resting.

"Nothing."

_He really isn't all that bad_, she decided, biting into the juicy meat.

---

Sasuke was still awake.

The moon had risen and was already at its apex and he was still awake.

Sakura was not.

She'd fallen asleep only a few minutes ago, sitting with her back to the wall.

He smiled with amusement as her head lolled loosely and her mouth hung open. She had pulled her legs up to her chest and was resting her forearms on her knees while she braced herself in the corner. Briefly, he wondered how she could sleep like that before he remembered she'd been on the streets when he met her.

She was such an interesting girl. More interesting than the girls Itachi brought home at least. He hated them and the way they gawped at him because he was the Uchiha heir. They seemed to think he was scary because of that and would shriek any time he came near. Because of that, he'd assumed all women were annoying and stupid.

Sakura had proved him wrong.

Which really wasn't such a bad thing.

She had made him wonder though, why she had looked so torn earlier, standing at his window. He hadn't thought anyone could show an emotion like that.

He frowned to himself at the thought and rolled onto his back, folding his hands across his chest. She'd forced him to lie in bed under the silk covers so that he'd have an easier time sleeping, but it hadn't helped any.

The moonshine was blocked for a moment by a passing cloud and his already tired eyes began to grow heavy in the near darkness.

By the time the cloud fully passed the moon, he was deep in his dreams.

---

Sakura woke two hours before dawn, as was her habit. Naruto was always awake at this hour, and she'd eventually developed his habit as well. Noone else wanted to be up that early, so it was usually just her and Naruto in the kitchen in the morning, eating whatever they'd been able to cook or steal.

Mist encased the entire outside world and made her shiver with cold.

Her mouth tasted sour, as if she'd just thrown up, but that was fine, she convinced herself.

She glanced over at Sasuke, fast asleep on his bed, then sighed.

Her breath came out in a puff of white.

She found a quill, inkpot, and scrap of paper in his desk and left him a quick note:

'Be back at noon.'

She hated to leave him, but she'd been away from Naruto and the gang long enough. She'd make it up to him later.

He stirred, even as she gave him one last longing glance.

She left the note on his desk in plain sight then left via the window.

---

She made it outside the compound without difficulty then made her way to the riverfront docks.

Naruto was waiting for her in their yellow house.

"Where were you? We were all worried!" he yelled.

"Nowhere, I just didn't feel like coming home last night." Sakura brushed him off then went to the kitchen, hoping to make herself some breakfast.

"Sakura, why won't you talk to me?" Naruto asked, following her.

"Because nothing happened. Now leave me alone, will you?" she snapped.

A wave of nausea hit her but she ignored it, blaming it on the rich fare she'd dined on last night.

"That's not fair, Sakura."

She ignored him and pulled a loaf of bread from the cabinet. This she ripped a piece from and ate.

It wasn't nearly as good as the food she'd eaten last night.

It made her want to throw up.

And she did, not being able to bear the taste in her mouth.

_Something's wrong..._

Her world was beginning to spin crazily, colors mixing in odd combinations.

"Naruto..."

Her breaths were coming in shallow gasps as she fought to keep herself upright.

Her legs gave in and she sat down hard on the floor.

"What the hell? What's wrong, Sakura?"

"I don't know. I shouldn't have gotten sick like that." she wiped her mouth with a trembling hand then clasped her hands tightly together. Her hands and arms were shaking and she let them.

"What did you eat yesterday?" Naruto demanded, kneeling by her.

"Nothing that should have made me sick." she told him, clamping a hand to her mouth and standing shakily.

She barely made it to the sink again.

"What. Did. You. Eat." His hands were on her shoulders, his blue eyes searching her green for answers.

"Chicken and noodles." Sakura admitted, supporting herself on the edge of the counter. Her legs were shaking as well as her hands and arms.

Her vision swam and she gripped the counter even more tightly, fighting gravity.

"Sakura? Sakura!"

Naruto's face disappeared in the blackness that swallowed her whole.

---

"Did you give it to him?"

"Yes. He asked for some food for a snack and I slipped it in. Now, please, let my family go. My daughter, she has a condition-"

"I don't give a damn about your family, old man. You'll get them back just as soon as he is dead. Which should be in a day or so."

"Please, I did as you asked-"

"Just wait. If he isn't dead by then, your family is history. Got it?"

"Yes."

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_**A/N: R&R please!**_


	5. Poison

_**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO. MASASHI KISHIMOTO IS THE ONE WHO HAS THAT PRIVELEGE.**_

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Naruto caught her as she fell. Her already pale skin was paler still and clammy. He pressed his fingers to her neck and felt for a pulse.

Her heart was beating weakly, barely able to be felt.

She'd done something again. She was always in something.

He slid his arms under her to hold her in the bridal position he'd seen other happily married couples perform. She didn't weigh as much as she had when he'd found her three years ago, collapsed in the street from hunger.

She'd been kicked out of her home after her mother's death, and hadn't been able to steal any food.

She'd always driven the men in the market crazy, flaunting what little curves she had to distract them while Naruto or one of the others swiped the goods (usually food or medicine). She'd made a few enemies with the other street gangs, but nothing that couldn't be solved with a peace offering.

Now she'd gotten herself poisoned. It was the only possibility. Nothing else could make someone throw up from having one bite of food.

_Where on earth could she have eaten poisoned food? She's a street kid like me, though it isn't by birth. The only people who ever get poisoned in this city are the rich and prominent families. _

_Had she met a member of one of those families? Or had someone discovered her parentage?_

Probably the latter, but even then, that would be nearly impossible. Sakura was close-mouthed about her past. All he or the rest of their group knew was her name, and only he knew her last name.

The former was just ridiculous. Sakura hated rich and prominent families, particularly the Uchiha, though she hadn't told him why. He hadn't asked, not wanting to intrude on her private life because he could tell it was a sore spot for her, and he had many of those himself. They all did.

He brought her up the stairs, mindful of her head and legs in the narrow space, then set her down on the pallet on her bedroom floor. The padding of two blankets wouldn't protect her body much, but it wasn't her outside Naruto was concerned with, it was her inside.

"Naruto? What's wrong with Sakura?" Tenten had woken, probably because of his yelling.

"I think she's been poisoned. Do you have anything that could help?"

Tenten's face went from shock to concern within seconds.

There wasn't much hope they'd find an antidote for her. Antidotes weren't sold to commoners, much less street rats like them.

"If I don't know what kind of poison it is, I can't help much. But I do have something that lessens some symptoms. It isn't a sure thing though. Can you tell me what symptoms she's had?"

"She was dizzy, and she threw up from one bite of bread, and her legs and arms were shaking and could hardly support her. Then she passed out." Naruto rattled off the symptoms he'd noticed and brushed her hair out of her face.

She was running a temperature now, and a very high one at that.

"I think the potion I have should help. But, Naruto, that poison doesn't sound good." Tenten sighed. "She just can't help but be in the thick of things. But this is different. Poisonings usually happen to more prominent families. Sakura isn't from one of those."

"She was." Naruto said softly.

"We all have secrets, and I won't begrudge her hers, but if it puts any of us in danger..." Tenten didn't need to finish the sentence as she exited.

She'd be kicked out of the gang. It was harsh, but surviving in a city like Konoha was hard enough without having more people than usual out for your blood.

"We heard. I think it has to do with her being gone last night." Kiba said softly, appearing suddenly in the doorway, Lee standing just behind him. Akamaru whined pitifully from Kiba's shoulder, expressing his worry in the only way he could.

"Sakura's youth could be cut short! We have to find the perpetrator!" Lee said loudly, making Naruto shush him.

"We'll follow her scent and find out where she was last night. Lee, you come too." Kiba was already turning away. Lee followed him, and soon the two were on the street.

Tenten came back in with a small vial of a rose pink liquid.

"This should help. I lifted it off a merchant about a month ago on a whim." she smiled proudly, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Naruto nodded, watching apprehensively as Tenten opened Sakura's mouth and poured some of the pink liquid into her mouth. She then sat her up and tilted her head back so that it would be swallowed.

"Will it work?"

"We can only hope." Tenten left the room with one last worried look for Sakura.

Naruto bit his lip as he watched his feverish friend sleep.

"Dammit, Sakura, what have you gotten into this time?" he asked, though he knew she couldn't hear.

---

"Sasuke, Father wants to see you." Itachi said, poking his head into the room.

Sasuke sat up slowly in his bed, rubbing his eyes clear of sleep. He gave his older brother a sleepy glare that had no effect. He only shot him a scowl back.

"No. I'm going back to bed." he flopped back onto his pillows and jerked the silk coverlet over his head, pulling it in tightly.

"I don't care if you are the heir and neither does he. He's the head of the family and even the heir has to listen. Understand?"

Sasuke mimed choking his brother under the covers.

It didn't make him feel any better though.

"Yes. But I'm going to listen later. Right now, I'm sleeping." Sasuke's voice was muffled, but Itachi could get the gist of what he was saying by his tone.

The older Uchiha growled before crossing the four short strides from door to bed and yanking the covers off his brother.

"Not later. Now."

"No." Sasuke said firmly, getting out of his warm bed to stare his brother down.

At fifteen, Sasuke was just his brother's height and could look him eye to eye. Itachi knew this, and so did Sasuke.

"Brat. What the hell happened to you while we were separated?" Itachi glared back.

For a minute, they stood there, neither blinking, unwilling to bend.

"Nothing. Now get the fuck out of my room. I'll talk to Father now that I'm up." Sasuke bent but only so he could return to bed all the sooner. If he ever caught his brother alone and off guard...

That thought alone was enough to put an evil looking grin on his face.

"Good." Itachi threw the silk coverlet to the floor before storming out and slamming the door.

"Good." Sasuke spat.

He was _not_ a morning person. He hated them with a passion. Everyone in the family knew it, including his father.

So why would he wake up his son if he knew he'd be a grouch?

People would be avoiding him within the compound for the remainder of the day to avoid any of his famous temper tantrums.

He kicked the bed angrily and instantly regretted it when the wooden frame stubbed his toes rather badly. He sat and nursed his wound for a few minutes, milking his time for what it was worth.

He was going to make him wait.

Finally, he decided he'd procrastinated long enough and pulled a shirt from his chest of drawers. He was just pulling it over his head when he noticed the scrap of paper on his desk.

'Be back at noon.'

She knew how to write?

Commoners didn't know how to write, so where had she learned?

A waft of a breeze edged into his room and toyed with his inky locks. The piece of paper with Sakura's thin, flowing script fluttered to the floor and he picked it up, tucking it inside his shirt.

He'd ponder this revelation later when he was through with his father.

---

Naruto wrung out the fifth rag in the last three hours then placed it gently on Sakura's feverish forehead. Despite the wet cloths, her temperature was still high, and that was what worried him. If the fever got too high, she would die.

And he did not want to bury his friend.

"Sasuke..." Sakura groaned in her sleep, her hand clasping on air as if she was trying to grab someone or something he couldn't see.

Naruto's eyes widened when he heard Sakura speak the name of the Uchiha heir.

Every street kid worth his salt knew the names of every heir to the prominent families within Konoha, hoping to get a chance to rob them blind on the streets.

When had she met him?

Yesterday, it had to be. But why would she be saying his name if she hated him?

Her face had looked more peaceful when she'd spoken his name, as if he were a balm for all the hurts she'd suffered.

His face twisted in anger.

It hadn't been his name she'd said, it had been an Uchiha.

Was he that much better than her best friend?

She'd only met him yesterday, what the hell could he have done to make her like this?

The bastard was going to pay.

"Tenten, get in here and keep an eye on her! I have to find Lee and Kiba!" Naruto yelled, pulling on his leather boots.

Tenten rushed into the room, wiping her hands free of flour. She'd been in the kitchen baking fresh loaves of bread. Flour dusted her brown locks white, making her look ghostly.

"Okay. Naruto, why are you so angry?" the look on his face had not escaped her gaze. She placed a hand on his shoulder only to have him pull away and exit the room.

"I know where she was yesterday! I need to tell Lee and Kiba!" he was already downstairs.

"Stay safe!"

---

"Why isn't he sick, old man? There should be news already that the Uchiha heir is sick and dying! You lied to us!"

"N-No, I put it in, I swear! I don't know why it didn't work!"

"You're dead. You _and_ your family."

The poor cook fell to his knees, hands clasped tightly together, begging silently for another chance.

"Sir, we were watching his room this morning and we saw a girl leave. Maybe the food was for her?"

"Then it was wasted. You're lucky we were watching, old man. Keigo, what did she look like? If she was in his room, she may be a hostage we can use against the boy."

"She had pink hair, and green eyes-"

"-Sakura?"

"Sir? You know her?"

"Yes."

Keigo shifted his weight on his feet, expecting to hear more, but his master was silent.

It didn't matter anyway, he'd probably be meeting the girl soon.

His master always kept track of his women.

----------------

**A/N: R&R Please!**

**Also, the next chapter is one of the reasons this is rated M. **

**Just a heads up.**


	6. Memory

_**DISCLAIMER: NO, ACTUALLY, I DON'T OWN NARUTO. THANKS FOR REMINDING ME.**_

_Warning: F-ed up scene ahead._

------------------------------------------

She was twelve. Only twelve.

Her father had just been killed a week ago, right in front of her.

She was walking home, head down, done with today's clumsy pickpocketing. She hadn't quite got the hang of it. She kept having to run after she got caught. But that didn't matter. What mattered was her that her mother was waiting for her and the money she brought home. She couldn't care less where it came from as long as they had it.

She made a right down an alley she used often and was about halfway down when she ran into him.

"S-Sorry." she made as if to go around him, but he blocked her way.

She looked up at him and recognition dawned on her face.

"Hello, Haruno."

He was smiling at her like an old friend.

"No..." she murmered, backing away quickly. "Get away! You killed my father!" she turned to run, but he grabbed her wrist and squeezed tightly.

"So you saw that? Interesting..."

She screamed, and he clapped a hand over her mouth.

"No, no, you don't want to do that. It would spoil everything."

Sakura closed her eyes tightly, wishing with all her might that she had not stayed out so late.

He laughed softly in her ear as he pulled her pants down.

She whimpered.

"That's it. Stay quiet."

He ripped her shirt open to stare at her small breasts.

"No!" she pushed at him in vain.

"Sorry, sweetie, but there's nothing you can do."

_Stop it._

_Why are you doing this?_

_Why?_

She sobbed and he laughed once more.

Her panties were around her ankles now and something hard was between her legs.

She stomped on his foot, but that only made him bite her ear.

His hands were playing with her breasts, moving them around, squeezing them.

His mouth was on her neck, sucking hard.

She didn't like the thing between her legs and grabbed it, squeezing hard.

He groaned with pleasure and shoved his fingers between her legs.

She stifled a scream of pain as he twisted his fingers around inside then withdrew them.

"Did you like that?" he whispered huskily in her ear, the hand he'd used to invade her stroking her face.

She brought her hands up to choke him and he grabbed both her wrists in one hand.

It was inside her now, and he was grunting softly.

_Oh, the pain._

_Why is he hurting me like this?_

She moaned and the hard thing shoved into her harder and faster. His grunts became louder.

_Blood. _

_Why is there blood?_

_Why am I bleeding?_

He was kissing her now, his tongue forcing her mouth open. She hated his taste. She bit down on his tongue and received a bite on the lip.

She began to scream again and he hit her mouth. She bit her own tongue and tasted blood.

She clawed at his back, his arms, his face, but all he did was smash her head against the wall of the building they were against.

"Stop... Stop it." she sobbed.

He pulled away from her and the hard thing left as well.

She fell to her knees, sobbing.

He only laughed again, and drew out a knife.

She didn't look up.

He lifted her shirt to reveal her bare back.

"I'll leave you with something to remember me by on that untouched back of yours."

The knife carved painfully into her back as he placed his mark on her.

"Unlike your father, you survived after meeting me. Count yourself lucky."

She sobbed harder.

"C'mon, honey, you should be honored I chose you." he said, laughter in his voice.

She couldn't answer. She felt too violated, too hurt.

The place between her legs throbbed painfully and she curled in on herself, clutching her stomach as she threw up.

His laughter haunted her long after he left her in the alley.

When she had finally been able to stand and get herself home, her mother had hung herself from the rafters.

She passed out at the sight of her mother's swaying body.

---

"Sakura! Wake up!" Tenten yelled, shaking her friend's body roughly.

She'd been having a nightmare and thrashed around, actually managing to land a hit on Tenten's jaw.

Her movements stilled and then her eyes fluttered open.

"Tenten?" she said weakly.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm here." Tenten smiled warmly at her, one hand on her bruised face.

"What happened to your face?"

"You were thrashing around a lot in your sleep." Tenten brushed stray strands of hair away from her friend's broad forehead.

"Sorry. Bad dream." Sakura closed her eyes and his laughter came back. She opened them again with a gasp.

"It's okay. It's not the first time I've been hit in the face." the older girl's face was creased with worry.

She knew that whatever her friend had been dreaming about had not been pleasant.

_She still keeps everything locked up inside. I've known her for three years and all I've learned is her name._

"I'm still sorry."

---

Sasuke screamed with frustration, in his room after a long talk with his father.

He was now confined to the compound. His 'antics' yesterday had convinced his father that he was yet too young to leave the safety of the Uchiha compound.

That was what pissed him off the most.

His father didn't know the first thing about him.

Noone did.

Noone but her.

She had, perhaps unconsciously, known exactly what he had needed after returning home.

And that both reassured and mystified him.

He punched his pillow, hoping it would make him feel better, but the damn thing was too soft and didn't remind him of his father's face at all.

Still angry, he flopped down on his bed and pounded it with his hands and feet.

Didn't help at all. It just messed up his bed even more than it already was.

Fuck.

He looked out the window and saw that it couldn't be any later than nine o'clock.

Only three more hours.

Surely he could wait that long...

---

Noon came and went while he passed his time reading a book he'd gotten from the family library. Itachi had been in there, annoyingly enough, with the excuse that he was bored and needed some new reading material.

Which meant he was on orders from Father to keep an eye on him.

He turned the page quickly without really looking at the words and the page ripped.

He growled, growing more impatient by the second.

A gust of wind blew in through the window and turned the next page for him.

He threw it to the floor with impatience, scowling darkly.

_Where is she? How dare she be late! She told me she'd be back by now._ His selfish, pampered heir attitude was kicking in.

_But-_ A tiny thought was niggling at his brain, the part where his softer side hid in public.

Noone had seen that side but Sakura, and it had been accidental. His father had trained him severely, which had given birth to that side of him.

_What if something had happened to her?_

No way. Not her.

That would be absurd.

His other side wouldn't be silenced.

_Just what if?_

---

Naruto found Kiba and Lee scouting out the Uchiha compound at about noon, having searched for them everywhere else in the city.

"She was with the Uchiha heir." Naruto told his friends, gazing at the tall wall as well, his blue orbs scanning it expertly for any hand or footholds.

"What?!" Lee was outraged.

"With Sasuke Uchiha! No fucking way."

Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Yes, way. But I can't figure out the connection. What would Sakura have been doing with a rich bastard like him?"

"What if he-"

"Don't even go there. Sakura would never have put up with that kind of shit."

"The only way to know for sure is to get in and ask. But there are sure to be guards and clan members wandering the grounds." Naruto bit his lip uncertainly.

"We'll have to come back tonight then."

---

Keigo watched the three teens leave, brown eyes filled with curiosity.

They'd been talking about that girl. The one his master knew.

He had to tell him. They could be of some use.

-------

_**A/N: **_

_**R&R Please**_

_**I realize I can write some pretty messed up crap.**_


	7. Antidote

_**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS FANFICTION.**_

----------------------

This was a fortuitous day indeed. It had been three years since he'd seen the girl and here she was, showing up with his target.

And not only that, she had friends he could use against her.

The man smiled, revealing straight, white teeth.

"Keigo, take the antidote to the yellow house on Dockstreet. Don't let them see you."

"Sir?" the young man was confused, why would his master cure a peasant girl?

"I want her _alive._ Sneak into the house and give her the antidote then leave."

"Yes, sir."

Keigo left the compound with the small corked bottle of yellow liquid. It looked more like piss than an antidote to him, but if the boss said it was an antidote, then it was an antidote.

No matter what it looked like.

---

"Sasuke? Is that you?"

It was dark, she couldn't see, couldn't feel, couldn't hear. The darkness pressed in on her senses, rendering her helpless.

She tried to lift her foot to take a step forward, but her legs were too heavy.

Something pressed on the back of her head and she tried to lift her arm to find what it was, but her arms were heavy as well.

"Sasuke? Sasuke, is that you? Why won't you answer?"

Something cool touched her lips, forcing them open gently, and she tried to scream, but nothing would come.

Something was sliding down her throat and she swallowed it.

"Good, good girl."

"Sasuke?"

Silence.

"Sakura? Are you out of bed?"

_Bed? Am I asleep? Then why can't I move?_

"Sakura?"

Something fell over with a thump and she could swear she heard a window open.

"Sakura, Sakura are you okay?"

_Tenten? Am I hurt?_

She struggled to open her leaden eyelids, and Tenten's face came into view.

"Sakura, there was a boy in here, did you see him?" Tenten was frantic with worry.

Was he trying to kill her? Is that why Tenten was so scared?

But he couldn't have been trying to kill her. She was feeling better already.

"No, I didn't. I had a really strange dream though." her head was pounding, but her nausea was gone, as well as the heaviness in her limbs.

Had she been given an antidote?

"I need to tell Naruto. You keep lying down."

Tenten left Sakura's room feeling more confused than ever.

---

When Naruto returned with Kiba and Lee after some pickpocketing in the market an hour later, Tenten had look of guilt on her face that told him instantly that something had happened with Sakura.

"Tenten, what happened?" he was face to face with the shorter girl.

"I was in the kitchen because I wanted to finish baking the bread I'd been making and-"

"You left her alone!" Naruto yelled, dashing up the stairs. "Sakura!" he burst into her room and caught her with her back to the door, changing clothes.

"Narutoooo!" Sakura screeched, holding her clean shirt to her chest as she punched him. She slammed the door and Naruto heard it lock.

His forehead knitted with concern. The door-locking wasn't new, but what had been on her back was.

The scar on her back. He'd never seen it before. It looked like initials, but they'd been sideways, and he hadn't gotten a long enough look at them.

What was more, it looked to be only a few years old.

What else had she hidden from them?

He stood, rubbing his nose gingerly. She'd punched it hard, but had deliberately pulled the blow so that his nose didn't break.

"Sakura? Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Fine, actually. Really fine." she opened the door suddenly and Naruto flinched from force of habit.

"What? Why?"

"I dunno. I had this really weird dream where S- someone poured something down my throat and when I woke up, I felt better." she hoped Naruto didn't notice she'd nearly said Sasuke's name.

"Sakura, what were you doing with Sasuke Uchiha?" He had her backed against a wall, one hand on either side of her body.

"We- I just- I picked his pocket. He followed me so I had to hide. Then he sent people out looking for me." she couldn't look Naruto in the eyes at all.

"We both know you're a bad liar, Sakura." Naruto said, turning to leave. " I don't know what you're hiding from us, but remember: we were your friends first."

He left and the door closed, leaving her in the darkness.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

---

She climbed out her window and dropped lightly to the stones below.

She had promised to come back and take Sasuke out.

She wasn't going to break her promise.

---

Naruto slammed his fist onto the table, sending clay plates and cups into the air.

Kiba and Lee managed to grab the majority of the flying dishes, but two cups and a dinner plate weren't so lucky. They fell over the edge of the table and shattered on the floor.

"Naruto, cool down!" Kiba said, "I know it's late, and I know she's gone again, but we can't stop her. We've never been able to. You know that."

"Shut up! We're going to Uchiha's tonight. I want to know why Sakura was with him and why she's lying about meeting him." Naruto's blue irises were turning red, as they did when he was truly pissed. Sakura's leaving had left him with no doubts that there was something going on between her and Sasuke.

And he didn't like it one jot.

Kiba looked out the window, face creased with thought.

"It's already dark out."

"Then we're going now."

-------

_**A/N:**_

_**=)**_

_**R&R please**_


	8. Was he awake?

_**DISCLAIMER: ALLOW ME TO PUT THIS SIMPLY: I. DON'T. OWN. NARUTO. END OF STORY.**_

---------------------

Clouds had been gathering ominously throughout the day, making the darkness outside even darker than normal.

_Is that even possible?_ Sakura wondered, slowing her pace to avoid colliding with anything that might be in her path. She couldn't see her hand in front of her face, so perhaps her caution was wise, especially since she nearly walked into a building more than once.

Even at a slower pace, it only took her ten minutes to reach the Uchiha compound.

This time, she was prepared. She'd stolen a rope from one of the fishing boats at the docks. The boat's owner had been drunk off his ass and had passed out in plain sight on the deck. She'd laughed so hard, her eyes had begun tearing up.

Once inside the grounds, she had to find her way to Sasuke's room by memory.

Not easy.

She was nearly blind in this pitch black darkness, and knew she'd stepped on several flowers, which meant the Uchiha would know tomorrow that someone had been inside their walls and be on high alert.

Finally, she found the correct window and pulled herself up, climbing into his room with more grace than she'd shown a day ago.

He was already in bed. She sighed, disappointed but relieved. She'd rest here tonight and take Sasuke outside the compound early tomorrow morning.

She closed the shutters and curled up on the floor beside his bed, on the side away from his door so that if anyone opened his door tomorrow before she woke up, she wouldn't immediately be visible.

His slow breathing put her to sleep more quickly than any lullaby.

---

"She went back to his room." Keigo said with amusement. "No sooner does she get the antidote than she goes right back to him. What a fool."

"Fools are easy to catch. You should be glad."

"When are we taking her?"

"I get the feeling the Uchiha is using her to get outside. So the very next time they leave the compound-"

"We take them both?" a grin worked its way onto Keigo's face as he savored the looks they would have on their faces.

"Exactly."

---

"Naruto, I think we're lost."

"We can't be, I know it's around here somewhere. Can't Akamaru-"

"It's starting to rain. The scent will have washed away by the time we get there." Kiba replied, glancing up at the sky.

"Fuck." Naruto glared at the sky, even though he couldn't see. Only the occasional flash of lightning provided light, and it was so fleeting it wasn't of any use. "Think you can get us home then? It isn't safe to be out when there's lightning."

"Yeah, I think so."

"I need to apologize to Tenten anyway, I kind of freaked out on her."

"That's why Lee stayed behind. Naruto, why were you so angry after Sakura punched you?" Kiba asked.

"I think it's just the fact that she's lying to us. She's never done it before." the rain had changed from a light mist to fat drops that pounded on them like the rocks the merchants would pelt them with if their hands wandered too close to their wares for comfort. "I feel- I feel like I'm losing her, you know? She doesn't hide things from us. Or she didn't, not if we asked. I don't even know her anymore."

"Yeah. But none of us really knows anything beyond her first name."

"I know her last name, but I still don't understand why she is the way she is. I've known her for three years. Not much has changed."

"What is it?"

"What's what?" Naruto practically had to yell over the peal of thunder that rang out just then.

"Her last name. What is it?"

"Haruno. She was a Haruno before."

---

"What should we do about her friends?"

"They don't know anything. She doesn't like to mention her previous life. They'll be of no use."

"Should I deal with them then?"

"If you like. Take Tamaki with you."

"That little-"

"He's your senior, Keigo, remember that. And I want you to take him."

"Yes, sir."

"Don't do it tonight. Wait a day or so. I want the drama to unfold."

"Yes, sir."

---

No sunlight could filter through the closed shutters, so Sakura woke later than normal. She could have attributed her oversleeping to her body recovering from the poison, but she preferred to blame it on the sun, the thing that _hadn't_ been trying to kill her and nearly succeeded.

It was odd though, to have been affected by a poison. Her parents had given her small doses of every poison known to man to build up her immunity, so to find one that actually affected her was odd.

But, besides that, she knew the poison hadn't been meant for her. It had probably been meant for Sasuke, who'd commissioned the food from the cook in the first place.

Speaking of Sasuke, was he still asleep?

She sat up and peeked over the edge of the bed.

Yup, still asleep. Probably not a morning person.

Her stomach grumbled loudly, protesting the fact that the last food she'd eaten had been in her more than a day ago.

Sasuke stirred, rolling over so that he faced her.

In his sleep, his face was much softer, less lined. When he was awake, he always looked serious, which she supposed had been expected of him as the heir to such a prominent family. She brushed his bangs out of his face and he moaned softly, leaning into her touch.

He was just like her. Seeking contact but never receiving it. He was just as lonely as she had been-and still was. She may have been living with Naruto, Kiba, Lee, and Tenten, but contact and interaction were still her weak points.

She let her hand rest on his smooth cheek, enjoying his warmth. Her skin didn't contrast with his very much at all. Her porcelain skin was a few shades lighter than his white.

For a few moments, she sat there, not moving, not _wanting_ to move.

It was nice, to touch someone and not have them pull away.

Sasuke stirred again, and she held her breath, but all he did was move his arm to place his hand on her hand.

"Sakura..." he breathed.

Her breath caught in her throat and she froze for a few seconds, startled.

The corners of his lips twitched, as if he was resisting a grin.

There were footsteps approaching and she withdrew her hand to slide under his bed.

"Sasuke, there's an intruder in the grounds, I've been sent to check on you." the door was flung open and a pair of bare feet approached the bed. "Oh for the love of- he's still asleep."

Sakura smiled from her position under the bed.

"Sasuke, get up!" Pause. "Get up! Seriously, I could be an assassin and you'd be dead!"

"What the hell, Itachi?" his voice was slurred with sleep, but his tone was still grouchy. "Get out of my room!"

"There's an intruder. I'm here to guard you until they're caught."

"Guard me while I'm asleep then! Don't wake me the fuck up!" Sasuke snapped.

_Oh, yeah. _Sooo_ not a morning person._

_But- had he been awake when he said my name?_

"Fine then! I'll be at your desk until then."

"Fine with me, just don't wake me up again."

"Can't even be concerned about my little brother. How messed up is that?" Itachi grumbled.

"Not as messed up as what I'm going to do to you if you don't shut up." Sasuke growled, his voice sounding muffled.

_Must have the covers or a pillow over his head._

_What am I going to do?_

Itachi snorted at the thought of his little brother actually trying to hurt him and slumped into the desk's chair, sighing heavily.

---

"Now what? They know she's there."

"We'll just have to _create_ an intruder then. Grab one of her friends."

Keigo saluted his boss before dropping the ten feet to the ground. He knew exactly what his boss was planning, and he liked it.

The man watched his crony leave before returning his attention to the Uchiha compound.

"She knows an opportunity when she sees one. She'll be sure to take it." He ran his fingers through his silver hair, anticipating his 'reunion' with the flower he'd plucked three years ago.

He couldn't wait to see her face.

-----------

_**A/N:**_

_**Maybe a few of you can figure out who it is by the hint I dropped?**_

_**R&R Please!**_


	9. Sure to slip up

_**DISCLAIMER: IF I HAD MY WAY, ITACHI WOULD BE ALIVE AND SASUKE WOULD BE WITH NARUTO.**_

---------------------

Tenten stirred when a breeze wafted in through her window and pulled her green woolen blanket closer to ward off the chill that accompanied it. Lee, beside her, stirred as well, and pulled her closer, hand resting protectively on her hip. He always seemed to move in sync with her, always keeping her as close as he possibly could in his sleep, which was what she loved most about him.

She sighed, content, and was nearly asleep once more, when she heard the floor by her and Lee's pallet creak.

She stiffened, not really meaning to, and strained her ears for any foreign sounds.

_Was that- breathing? Is someone in our room?_

She shifted, rolling so that she faced Lee, and wriggled closer to him under their blanket. If someone was there, she wanted to be as close to Lee as possible.

Lee sighed softly in his sleep.

Another creak.

There was no denying it now.

Someone was in their room.

"I know you're awake, little girl." the intruder breathed in her ear, and she fought the urge to scream.

She nodded but kept her eyes closed.

"Tell anyone I was here, and I'll come back and kill you and your little friends."

She nodded again, tears beginning to leak from beneath her closed lids.

"Good girl. Are your other friends here?"

Nod.

"Good. I'm going to leave your room now. Scream or wake the others up and you'll all be dead. Understand?"

She didn't have to nod this time, the tears streaming down her face were answer enough.

---

She'd been under Sasuke's bed for three hours, wishing with all her might that he would wake up and leave so that Itachi would leave with him.

Finally, it seemed her wish was coming true.

He was sitting on the edge of his bed, curling and uncurling his toes, preparing to stand.

Itachi stood, and the chair scraped against the floor loudly. Sakura wished she could cover her ears against the grating sound, but didn't want to risk drawing attention to herself.

"Dammit, Itachi, I can dress myself. Sit down." Sasuke commanded, shuffling his feet as he went to his chest of drawers.

"We still haven't caught them, Father wants us to take you to the safehouse." his brother remained standing, though he kept a distance between them.

"I'll be fine. For what reason was I taught to fight, if not to defend myself?" Sasuke was pulling on a shirt.

"That's not the point. Whether or not you can fight is of no consequence." Itachi stood in front of his brother now, trying to reason with him.

"I don't care. Post guards around my room until they're caught. I won't be locked up in that dinky little room with no windows." He yanked his pants up.

"Father-"

"Right now, I don't give a damn what Father says. I'm the heir, I'll decide what to do. Or will he have me coddled like a child for the rest of my life?"

Itachi sighed.

"Just come and have breakfast, we'll talk it over then."

Sasuke followed his brother out, slamming the door behind him.

Sakura counted down from a hundred slowly then counted up to a hundred to be sure they were gone.

Slowly, she pulled herself out of her hiding place and stood, stretching her arms and legs.

After three hours of not moving, they were stiff, and they tingled as the blood flowed through them.

---

"He woke up."

"Indeed. We'll plant our 'intruder' after he returns to his room. I want them to be together when he's caught."

"What'll we do with him until then?" Keigo jerked his head at the unconscious teen behind him.

"Keep him tied up. He needs to be strong so that they'll have a chase."

"How much longer?" Keigo was beginning to get impatient.

"Patience. It won't be long."

"All right."

---

Sasuke returned to his room an hour later, Itachi following him so closely he could feel his breath on his neck. It was creepy and wasn't endearing his brother to him at all.

He resisted the urge to spin around and punch his brother in the face and contented himself with clenching and unclenching his fists.

Itachi seemed to notice his hands and stepped back a few paces.

Sasuke smiled, and popped his knuckles to further his point. Anything that would keep his brother away was gonna get pulled out.

The intruder, Sakura, still hadn't been caught, much to his amusement and annoyance.

Amusement because she was hiding right under their noses, and in his room no less, the last place anyone would think she was. Annoyance because it meant Itachi would be following him until she was caught, and that just pissed him off to no end.

Yells suddenly erupted outside and he threw open the shutters, Itachi protesting loudly that it was dangerous and that he should close them immediately.

"Catch him! Catch him dammit!"

"I'm trying!"

"Damn, he's fast!"

"You, there, grab him! He's the intruder!"

There was a yell of pain as the intruder was caught.

"Tell Fugaku we caught him, Sasuke's safe!"

Itachi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally."

Sasuke could do nothing but stare in shock at a boy his own age being forcibly restrained by no less than five members of the Uchiha family guards.

"Let me go! Let me go, you Uchiha bastards! I've been framed, dammit!"

"Not likely, street rat."

"I'm not lying! It's the truth! It's the truth! Let me go..." the boy's voice faded as he was carted off, probably to the secure room his family kept for prisoners.

Itachi left to tell their father that the intruder had been apprehended and Sasuke pulled the shutters closed slowly, suspicious.

It could only have been Sakura they'd been talking about, so how had the boy-

Was it a set-up? To get the heat off Sakura?

Why?

"Sasuke? Is it safe?"

"Yeah, they caught someone. You were the only one who came here last night from outside, right?" he knelt by his bed and put his hand down for her to grab.

She took it and he pulled her out.

"I was alone, yes. Why?"

"Could you have been followed?"

"I don't think it was possible. It was so pitch black last night, I could hardly see my nose on my face, and it started raining not long after I got here." Sakura patted herself down, trying to get rid of the dust that had accumulated on her body from her frequent visits to the floor under the bed. Sasuke watched her, pondering the boy's sudden appearance and capture. For an heir's room, it was surprisingly dusty under there. Maybe he had lazy maids? She'd have to clean it out properly as a precaution. If someone saw the disturbed dust they'd be able to tell someone had been under there.

"In any case, he was screaming something about having been framed."

"Really? What did he look like?" she was pulling her hair back into a horse tail and tying it with a leather strip she pulled from who-knows-where. Sasuke really didn't want to know at the moment.

"Well, he had blonde hair and whisker marks on his face, and-" he stopped, concerned about the horrified expression on Sakura's face.

"Naruto."

---

"He was caught too quickly, _and_ he was seen by Sasuke. What if he tells her that it was him?" Keigo punched the stone wall in frustration, bruising his knuckles.

"That is a problem we did not foresee. I would have thought the boy would have put up more of a fight..." violet eyes narrowed dangerously, deep in thought.

"Typical street kid. He was a fucking pickpocket, they're supposed to be _fast_. What a waste of time." Keigo sneered with disdain. He'd been a pickpocket himself once, and he sure as_ hell _would not have been caught.

"I agree."

"What do we do now?"

"We _wait_ of course. She's sure to slip up and then we'll have them both."

---

"Naruto's gone!" Kiba yelled, appearing in the entrance to Lee and Tenten's room, Akamaru yipping at his heels.

"What?!" Lee jumped to his feet and Tenten sat up quickly, eyes wide.

_Had he taken Naruto? Or did Naruto leave after?_

Why would he take him?

They were one gang of street kids out of many. Pickpocketing, burglary, theft, they had done it all. Everything but kill. Killing got the police after you, and the punishment was death if you were caught. They didn't even care if they caught the right person or not. Once they had a kid off the streets, that kid instantly became the murderer. More than one kid in their gang had disappeared from their lives like that.

"He's probably at the Uchiha's, we've gotta stop him!"

Lee and Kiba dashed out of the house, leaving a torn Tenten behind.

Should she have told them about the intruder last night?

--------

_**A/N:**_

_**Thank you all for reading this far! It makes me very glad that people have been reading and enjoying my story.**_

_**Don't expect such regular updates for awhile cos school ends next week and I'll be jobhunting for the summer.**_

_**Also, no it isn't Orochimaru's favorite henchman, though it did just occur to me that it could have been him. However, it isn't, cos I don't really like him =)**_

_**As usual, R&R please!**_


	10. Plot

_**DISCLAIMER: THE ONLY THING IN THIS STORY THAT I OWN IS KEIGO. AND HE DOESN'T LIKE TO LISTEN TO ME...**_

Dedicated to: xXFoxy Scorpion BlossomXx for her correct guess at the mystery man!

---------------------

"Naruto? You know that boy?" Sasuke asked, an odd feeling welling up in his chest.

Anger- no- Jealousy.

Never had he felt jealous of anyone, and, after all, how could he? He'd been given everything he wanted but contact, and she had given that to him.

He thought briefly of having the boy killed, to remove the competition, but the worried look on Sakura's face changed his mind immediately.

How could he have even thought of something like that?

"He's... my best friend. I left him last night to come see you, because I'd promised to come back." She was biting her lip, a sure sign of indecision.

"Why did you?" Sasuke asked, hands clenched once more.

His spoiled side was breaking loose, shoving his soft side into the farthest reaches of his mind. He kept that side of him tightly locked away with Sakura around, because he would only allow her to see his soft side, and now it was breaking loose and was sure to ruin everything.

"Why? I promised. I don't break my promises."

"You did yesterday! Now you're worried about him, when you wanted to see me!" he punched the wall hard enough to leave a dent.

His spoiled side was fully in control of his body, and he was screaming inside his head, knowing that everything he'd built up was crumbling.

"Sasuke, it's not like that-"

"Are you lovers? Is that why you're so worried?" He was breathing heavily, though he hadn't done anything particularly strenuous.

Sakura was silent.

"Well??" he demanded, planting himself in front of her so that they were eye to eye.

Nonononononono!! I don't mean it! Sakura! I'm sorry!

"No, we're not. Do you realize just how _selfish_ you sound? You fucking rich bastard, you don't think about anyone but yourself. You don't have friends, how could you possibly know what I'm _feeling_?" her hand was closed tightly on the collar of his shirt, forcing him to bend. The coldness in her voice and eyes stabbed his heart, and he placed his right hand on his chest to feel if it was still beating safely inside his body.

_She's right. I don't know. But still, that boy..._ Sasuke closed his eyes, unsure how to respond.

"I thought so." she let him go and turned her back to him.

"Sakura..."

She paused, already preparing to jump out the window and leave.

_Don't go! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!_

The words wouldn't come.

"Sasuke!" Itachi burst into the room.

Sasuke whirled around with a gasp, and Sakura slipped off the edge of the window and fell to the ground.

"There was another one! She's in the garden!" Itachi yelled, making for the window.

Sasuke's eyes flashed with anger and he tripped his brother as he tried to pass. Itachi fell to the floor.

"Sasuke! What are you doing?" he demanded.

Sasuke didn't answer as he kicked his brother in the head just hard enough to knock him out cold.

"Sakura!"

He found her climbing the old Sassafrass tree in the most neglected corner of their estate.

She glanced back, just once, saw that it was him, and hopped down onto the other side of the wall.

"Dammit, Sakura! Wait!"

WAIT FOR ME! Wait! Don't leave me!

He was nearly to the top of the wall when he heard her scream.

"Sakura!"

---

"Sakura!"

She looked back, unsure if it was Sasuke who had called her name.

Why would he? He cared for noone but himself.

Her eyes widened slightly when she saw that it was him and that he was following her.

_Catch me if you can... Sasuke._

She landed lightly, then took off, straight for the nearest alley.

Someone landed in front of her abruptly and she skidded to a stop but not quickly enough. They collided, and whoever it was caught her arm as she stumbled clumsily backward.

She looked up at the man, to thank him and excuse herself, only to freeze in shock.

It was _him._ Without a doubt.

He smiled, just the same as he had back then, and Sakura's scream tore out of her throat without her realizing it.

"Hey, Haruno."

---

Sasuke halted, leaning against the building. Sakura was face to face with a man he recognized as being a distant friend of the Uchiha. One of Itachi's friends if he remembered correctly...

And it sounded like he knew her.

How does he know her?

Something's not right here...

"What's wrong? You don't look happy to see me."

Silence.

Sasuke strained his ears, wondering why the normally strong Sakura wouldn't talk back.

"Well? Is this how you greet the man who spared your life?" Pause. "Answer me, Sakura. Or are you too afraid? What happened to that little girl who tried to push me away?"

Another pause.

_He _spared_ her life? What's that supposed to mean?_

_She screamed when she saw him... What on earth for?_

"You want to kill me, I can see it in your eyes. Is that why you befriended Sasuke? To get closer to me?"

_Sakura?_

_Was she lying? Acting?_

_Was none of it... real?_

He slid down the side of the building, arms wrapped around himself, trying to keep himself together.

Trust...

It was all a lie.

There was no such thing as trust in this world. You couldn't trust anyone.

_But-_

_When she touched my face this morning-_

_She was gentle_.

That couldn't be fake, could it?

Something wet was sliding down his cheek and he raised his hand to see what it was.

_Oh._

He was crying, something he didn't do often.

Now what?

Sit and cry?

Leave Sakura to her fate?

Or fight?

---

Keigo watched in amusement as the Uchiha heir clutched at himself after hearing his master say the girl had befriended him only to use him.

So pitiful, really. The heir to the coldest family in Konoha showing an emotion like pain? It was the most amusing thing he'd seen in a long time.

Now he was wiping his face, probably crying.

Which meant it was time to take him.

He dropped down directly in front of the boy, making him jump in surprise.

"Hey, Sasuke. Lets take a walk, shall we?"

Now he was glaring at him.

"Wow. You're really pissed. Could it be because your little girlfriend has betrayed you? Or is it because my master hurt her?"

Shock flashed onto the boy's face, and was quickly replaced with anger.

He stood, fists clenched.

"I wouldn't attack me, if I were you. My master has your girlfriend and won't hesitate to hurt her." Keigo grinned, loving the power he held over the trembling teen.

"She's no friend of mine."

"Really? Then why are you still crying?"

---

"That was my intention at first. It's not like that anymore."

"Oh, really? Then how is it? Is it love? Sympathy?" he was grinning at her now, mocking her. "Or is it... Love? You haven't known him all that long."

"How do you know that?" Sakura's voice was shaky.

"I have my ways. I'm helping a friend with his dream. You're just a handy little pawn who came out of the woodwork."

"I'm no pawn."

"That's what you think. Everyone's a pawn around my friend. I am. You are. Your friends are. Your parents were. Sasuke is as well." he smiled. "Do you get it? He's after the position he was denied. Noone is safe from him. He'll use us all to achieve his goal. He's bided his time for fifteen years, and now opportunity is ripe."

"Not-" Sakura gasped.

Her parents.

Her poor parents.

He'd been behind their deaths?

Her father, murdered by the man standing before her.

Her mother.

She'd been killed as well it seemed.

He'd been behind her death as well? Just before he'd hurt her like that?

No.

No.

Nonononono!!!

"Exactly. You're not stupid like the others, you've seen through it already. The man who's orchestrated this whole plot from the shadows." he moved closer to Sakura, trailing a hand along her jaw gently, teasingly, a look of lust in his violet eyes. "You simply can't stay hidden can you?"

One of his hands was on the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. She wriggled, not liking this closeness, and pushed at his chest in vain.

"No, no, no. Now that I've got you again, I'm not letting you go again." he whispered in her ear, his hand sliding up the back of her shirt to trace the scar he'd left there only three years ago. "Especially not since you've grown into such a beautiful young woman."

His hand moved to the front of her shirt and Sakura's eyes widened.

No.

He was not going to do that again.

She wouldn't allow it.

"Get- away!" she yelled, bringing her knee up, but he stopped it before it slammed into his crotch with his free hand.

"Say my name." he commanded, bringing his face close, his hand holding her leg in the air so that she couldn't kick out at him.

"No!"

"Say it!" he pulled her closer so that she had no choice but to look him in the eye.

"Hidan!"

------------

**A/N: Prepare yourselves for a bit of a dry spell. I need a small break because I'm beginning to get major writer's block for this story.**

**Also, school ends on Friday so I'll be busy with filling out applications.**

**Patience is a virtue! Being skimpy with reviewing is not! A writer always needs to hear they're doing well so click on that little button, cos you know you love me!**

**Heheheh.**

**Another mystery man. Maybe some of you already know who it is?**


	11. Revelations

_**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YADAYADAYADAYADAYADA... YOU GET THE PICTURE.**_

---------------------

Hidan whipped his head around to glare at the opposite end of the alley.

Sakura peeked over his shoulder as well, curious about the interloper who'd probably just saved her.

The only thing wrong was that he knew Hidan's name. Which meant he wasn't there to save her.

"Kisame! What are you doing here?" Hidan's grip on Sakura tightened painfully, and she gritted her teeth, determined not to make a sound.

"I'm here to keep you from going too far. Sasuke loves that girl, you can't make her yours yet." Kisame was adamant, even as he approached them. Sakura was pulled ever closer to Hidan's firm body, and attempted to shift into a different, more comfortable, position. She shifted the wrong way and gasped when she felt his hard member brush against her thigh. Hidan laughed softly, enjoying her discomfort.

She stamped on his foot and grabbed his hair hoping it would make him relinquish his hold, but it accomplished nothing, she just got a hard pinch to the ribs to remind her that _he_ was the one in control of the situation. She glared at him when he turned to smile cockily at her and he shook his head before returning his attention to the bluehaired man standing just before them.

"And if I already have?" Hidan grinned cockily, tilting his head so that he could look Kisame in the face.

"You lie." the other man's face darkened and Sakura flinched.

"Do not. Look." Hidan spun Sakura around roughly and yanked her shirt up so that Kisame coud see the faint white lines that made up Hidan's initials.

"That is so like you. When?" Kisame sighed, one hand massaging his temple, contemplating the consequences of the Jashinist's actions.

"After I showed her mother a way to escape the hardships of the world, of course."

Sakura gasped.

So, he had killed her mother as well.

_Why?_

_Why did she need her parents taken away from her?_

_Why did she have to suffer through the humiliation Hidan had put her through?_

_Why?_

_Why?_

_Whywhywhywhywhywhywhy?_

It was so unfair.

She'd loved her parents.

They hadn't done anything to harm her and had only thought about her wellbeing.

_Was that so bad?_

Someone was crying, and she opened her eyes to see who, but soon figured out that she was the one crying.

"Whoops. Sensitive subject?" the albino asked, smiling at her again. Kisame didn't look quite as amused, one eyebrow quirked as he watched Hidan mentally abuse the girl in his grasp. "Still wanna kill me? There's no point. It won't bring your parents back, you know." he leaned in closer, using one hand to force her to listen by pulling her head closer. "You have nothing. Noone. Is there any reason to hate me any more? You were unhappy as a noble anyway."

"That's not-"

"Don't lie to me. I hate liars." his teeth were at her ear, nibbling softly.

_Eeeeewwwww! Get the hell away! I can't even stand it when a guy my _own_ age does that!_

She smacked him then looked at her hand in surprise. The reaction had been involuntary, a habit learned from being hit on by men way too old for her.

Kisame laughed at the dumbfounded expression on Hidan's face, where a red handshaped mark was beginning to show.

"She smacked me. She _actually_ fucking smacked me."

"She's surprised too. Look at her face." Kisame chuckled, pointing at Sakura's still shocked face.

Sakura hastily tried to change her expression to one of anger, but she knew she hadn't done it quickly enough when Hidan laughed as well.

"So she is. Well. Let's just get us home now. I can't wait to reunite her and her little boyfriend." Hidan was sneering at her distraught expression, the one that had flitted onto her face at the mention of Sasuke.

_They were using me! Shit! Sasuke'll hate me forever!_

_And I hurt him before I left._

_Sasuke, I'm so sorry._

She found herself being lifted and slung over Hidan's shoulder and screeched with displeasure, pounding on his back with her fists.

"Give it a rest. I'm getting angry." Hidan said, voice dripping with barely disguised fury, probably because he hadn't gotten to hurt her again.

"Hey! Put her down!" the voice came from the roof above them and both Hidan and Sakura looked up in surprise. Kisame scoffed.

"And what's a gang of streetkids gonna do to us?" Hidan sneered. "We have your friend and won't hesitate to hurt her to get out of here."

_Kiba! Lee! Don't!_

Sakura opened her mouth to warn them but Hidan swung her off his shoulder and clamped a hand over her mouth, as if reading her thoughts.

"No warning them now. They started this fight, we'll finish it." he hissed in her ear, jerking his head at the two boys.

Kisame grinned, showing pointed teeth, and used the walls of the buildings surrounding them to reach the roof, leaping back and forth between them.

Kiba and Lee had no time to react before the large man grabbed both their heads and smacked them together with a sickeningly loud crack.

Sakura screamed, scratching and kicking at Hidan, who held her all the more tightly.

_Kiba! Lee! Oh, no. Oh, no. God, please no! Don't let them be dead. Don't let them be dead! It's all my fault!_

She continued to squirm, tears flooding her cheeks.

Kisame hopped lightly down, wiping his hands on his pants.

"You bastard!" she screamed at him, "You fucking bastard! I'll kill you! I'll kill you..." Sakura sobbed, curling up on herself, her hands clawing her sides.

"Aw, shit. Now look what you did, Kisame. Who's the one who was telling me not to hurt her?"

"Not my fault. Besides, I meant physically, not emotionally. She'll get over it." the blue man shrugged it off.

---

_**"No, we're not. Do you realize just how **_**selfish**_** you sound? You fucking rich bastard, you don't think about anyone but yourself. You don't have friends, how could you possibly know what I'm **_**feeling**_**?"**_

_She must really hate me._

_How could I have said that? I didn't have any idea what was going on, I just-_

_I assumed._

Sasuke pounded his fist into the concrete wall of the room he was being held in, and ignored the pain that shot through his knuckles and up his arm. He deserved to hurt. He'd hurt her. He'd been jealous. Selfish.

The boy with brown hair had taken him here then left him in the dark.

Sasuke hated the dark. It was annoying. You couldn't get anything done and it messed with your mind, making you imagine noises that put you on edge.

Which was why, after napping lightly, he thought he imagined the snuffling noises coming from the corner.

He ignored it until he heard a sob and the soft 'shshsh' sound of cloth rubbing on cloth.

"Who's there?" his voice was shaky. It unnerved him that there'd been someone in the cell with him and he hadn't noticed.

"Sa- Sasuke?"

_Sakura? What's she doing in here? _

_Don't answer. Don't answer. If she knows it's you, she'll hate you._

"Sasuke, where are you?"

Fuck. Too late.

"I'm over here. Against the back wall." he told her, standing slowly, not quite sure where the ceiling was. His head didn't meet the ceiling so it was safe to stand upright at least. He knew one of the cells in the Uchiha compound was designed so that whatever wretch was thrown in there would have to stay bent over if they wished to stand, and if they were kept in there long enough, their back would remain permanently bent.

He heard her light shuffling footsteps and grabbed her before they collided.

"Sorry, I can't see." she spoke softly, her voice still slightly choked.

"It's fine, I can't see either."

They were being too polite to each other. Neither wanted to offend the other and be locked in the same room with them for an extended period of time.

She was shivering. He could feel the goosebumps forming on her arms, which he was still holding. He let go abruptly, startling her.

"Sasuke, are- are you okay?"

_No, I'm not fucking okay! I acted like a heartless, jealous bastard back there! Why the hell are you being concerned for me? You should hate me!_

"Hate me."

"What? Sasuke-"

"Hate me! I deserve it!" he roared, pushing her aside and going to the opposite side of the small space.

"Sasuke!" Sakura was getting fed up.

"Why don't you fucking hate me? Why? What I said before was unforgivable!"

"Sasuke, that fight before, it was both our faults." she was behind him, touching him gently, so gently he almost couldn't feel her skin on his.

"No, it wasn't. It was-"

She smacked him. Not hard, but just hard enough that he shut up.

"Now, you listen to me. I won't have you throwing a pity party while we're in here. I'm going to explain everything, and you're gonna listen, and _then_ if you wanna have a pity party you can throw it yourself. Understood?" her voice was low, and told him immediately that there would be no arguing.

"Yes." he was being sullen, but he would listen.

"This whole thing starts three years ago. Do you get the importance of the number of years? Three years. The Uchiha were moving up, pushing the Haruno down ever further into debt."

"Why are the Haruno-" he began to ask, confused about the mention of that clan.

"Because _I_ am a Haruno." Sakura growled. Sasuke couldn't tell why she was angry, there could have been several reasons.

Him interrupting.

Or the mention of her past as a rich noble.

But that wasn't what kept him silent.

_She's a member of that clan, the one we broke. She must have been the-_ his eyes widened with shock as he realized just why she had known what he needed when he was breaking down.

"You were the Haruno heiress?" he breathed.

"Yes. Now let me continue. The Uchiha had been spying on my family. I knew it, but my parents, dense as they were, content with their wealth, never noticed. Not even when caravans began to disappear. They just figured it was bandits and that we'd been sending out goods at exactly the wrong times. They were stupid. There was one man in particular...

---

(flashback)

Sakura did a double take when she saw the white haired man slip in through the gardener's entrance to the yard.

_Father didn't hire him... Maybe he's visiting? But why use that gate? And isn't that the man I saw in the market when I was with Mother?_

She shrugged but went onto her balcony, the one she shared with her father's study. She saw him go into the door that led directly to the kitchens and frowned, her brow creasing.

_Almost all the cooks are gone, maybe he wants to work cheaply as a cook._

That fit perfectly. She smiled, pleased that she had found the real reason for the man coming into their house.

There was a crash from downstairs and she sighed. It was probably their clutzy maid knocking over _another_ vase. She decided to complain to her father about the maid and had the heavy French doors partially opened so that she could enter his study when she heard someone knock on his study door.

_No fair. It's probably Mother complaining about the maid before I do._

_Wait. Isn't Mother having tea with the Hyugas today?_

She waited, knowing that if someone was in the study with her father and she interrupted, she'd get in trouble. But that didn't stop her from peeking through the crack she'd made between the doors.

It was the white haired man.

_Why is he talking to Father?_ She blinked, and suddenly, Father's head was on the floor and the white haired man was wiping his katana clean on her father's shirt.

Some of the blood had spurted across the study and hit the doors, some slipping between the crack to hit her in the face.

She brought her hand up to her face, not sure what had just happened, and stared blankly at the red liquid smeared across her fingertips.

_Go. I have to go. That man is dangerous! Run!_ her legs felt like lead, but she moved, barely managing to make it back to her own room and shut her balcony doors.

She was breathing heavily, as if she'd just run a mile, and she dove under her bed just as her door opened. Whoever it was walked a few steps into the room turned and left, shutting the door behind them.

She began to cry, her tears sliding through the now smeared blood on her face and turning pink.

Father was dead.

He could never come back.

(end flashback)

---

"I saw the whitehaired man just once after that, a month or so later. By then I had learned his name and was pickpocketing a little. It was still clumsy, though. I kept getting caught and having to run." Sakura took a deep breath. "He caught me, coming home late and he did an awful thing to me, Sasuke. Then, when he was finished, he carved his initials into me, like I was livestock. I only just found out that he had made my mother hang herself. I passed out after I saw her hanging from the rafters."

"Sakura-" Sasuke began, but he stopped himself. He didn't know what it felt like to lose parents, how could he comfort her?

"I met Naruto and the rest of the gang not long after. Naruto taught me how to be a better pickpocket and how to distract the men so that we could rob them or their stalls." Sakura laughed. "It was fun. I was doing that for nearly three years before I landed on you. I felt- close to you. But at first, I wanted to use you to get to Hidan. I will admit. It was wrong of me."

There were footsteps approaching the cell, and the two of them squinted in the yellow light of the lantern that preceded Hidan's entrance into the cell.

"What do you want, bastard?"

"I'm here to pick up Sasuke, don't worry. But later, you will join me for dinner." Hidan replied, hand held out to Sasuke.

"No way. You poison food." Sakura spat.

"Aw, come on. It was an accident! Your little boyfriend over there was supposed to get poisoned, not you." Hidan whined.

"Fucker! That's why she was late!" Sasuke was trembling with rage.

"Oh, you think that's bad? Wait til you see who's behind this whole plot." Hidan smiled knowingly.

"Sasuke, it's your-"

"Now, now, Sakura, don't spoil the surprise." Hidan slapped a hand over Sakura's mouth and motioned for Sasuke to leave the cell. "Sasuke will find out when they meet. It'll be a pleasant reunion, I think."

Sakura glared daggers at him as he shut the door once more, leaving her alone in the heavy darkness of the cell.

---

_**A/N: You thought I was gonna spill, didn't you? Nuh-uh. Not until next chap. This is a long chap so it should make up for the wait. Anyway, R&R!!**_


End file.
